Limited value for ultrasonography in predicting flare in rheumatoid arthritis patients with low disease activity stopping TNF inhibitors.

Objective: Ultrasonography (US) can be used for treatment decisions in RA patients. This study investigated the added value of US to clinical variables in predicting flare in RA patients with longstanding low disease activity when stopping TNF inhibitors (TNFi).

Methods: Cox models with and without using US added to clinical variables were developed in the Potential Optimization of Expediency of TNFi-UltraSonography study.

The association of body-mass index and depressed mood with knee pain and activity limitations in knee osteoarthritis: results from the Amsterdam osteoarthritis cohort.

Background: Body-mass index (BMI) and depressed mood are both positively associated with pain and activity limitations in knee osteoarthritis (OA), and are interrelated. The aims of the present study were: 1) to assess whether BMI and depressed mood are independently associated with knee pain and activity limitations; and 2) to compare the relative contributions of BMI and depressed mood to knee pain and activity limitations.

Methods: A cross-sectional study in 294 patients with clinical knee OA.

Knee joint stabilization therapy in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate whether an exercise program, initially focusing on knee stabilization and subsequently on muscle strength and performance of daily activities is more effective than an exercise program focusing on muscle strength and performance of daily activities only, in reducing activity limitations in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and instability of the knee joint.

Design: A single-blind, randomized, controlled trial involving 159 knee OA patients with self-reported and/or biomechanically assessed knee instability, randomly assigned to two treatment groups. Both groups received a supervised exercise program for 12 weeks, consisting of muscle strengthening exercises and training of daily activities, but only in the experimental group specific knee joint stabilization training was provided.

The association between reduced knee joint proprioception and medial meniscal abnormalities using MRI in knee osteoarthritis: results from the Amsterdam osteoarthritis cohort.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is characterized by pain and activity limitations. In knee OA, proprioceptive accuracy is reduced and might be associated with pain and activity limitations. Although causes of reduced proprioceptive accuracy are divergent, medial meniscal abnormalities, which are highly prevalent in knee OA, have been suggested to play an important role.

Biomechanical factors and physical examination findings in osteoarthritis of the knee: associations with tissue abnormalities assessed by conventional radiography and high-resolution 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging.

Introduction: We aimed to explore the associations between knee osteoarthritis (OA)-related tissue abnormalities assessed by conventional radiography (CR) and by high-resolution 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as biomechanical factors and findings from physical examination in patients with knee OA.

Methods: This was an explorative cross-sectional study of 105 patients with knee OA.

Proprioception, laxity, muscle strength and activity limitations in early symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: results from the CHECK cohort.

Objective: To establish whether proprioception and varus-valgus laxity moderate the association between muscle strength and activity limitations in patients with early symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Subjects: A sample of 151 participants with early symptomatic knee osteoarthritis from the Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee study.

Self-reported knee instability and activity limitations in patients with knee osteoarthritis: results of the Amsterdam osteoarthritis cohort.

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether self-reported knee instability is associated with activity limitations in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), in addition to knee pain and muscle strength. A cohort of 248 patients diagnosed with knee OA was examined. Self-reported knee instability was defined as the perception of any episode of buckling, shifting, or giving way of the knee in the past 3 months.

Association of lower muscle strength with self-reported knee instability in osteoarthritis of the knee: results from the Amsterdam Osteoarthritis cohort.

Objective: To determine whether muscle strength, proprioceptive accuracy, and laxity are associated with self-reported knee instability in a large cohort of knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and to investigate whether muscle strength may compensate for impairment in proprioceptive accuracy or laxity, in order to maintain knee stability.

Methods: Data from 283 knee OA patients from the Amsterdam Osteoarthritis cohort were used. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between muscle strength, proprioceptive accuracy (motion sense), frontal plane varus-valgus laxity, and self-reported knee instability.

Silverfish protein in house dust in relation to mite and total arthropod level.

Two assays have been developed to measure arthropod levels in house dust. The first assay measures silverfish antigens. The second assay measures invertebrate tropomyosin and gives a global assessment of the level of arthropod-derived material.